Merlin’s First Round Mock
By merlin
With the draft fast approaching, The Draft Thursday staff was asked to provide a full first round mock. Who will go number one? What players are available to the Chiefs at #21? Answers below the fold!
| Pick 1 | Cam Newton, QB, Auburn | Carolina makes a mistake here and grabs the next Vince Young. | |
| Pick 2 | Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama | Best DT in the draft, it’s a no brainer to the Donks | |
| Pick 3 | Nick Fairley, DT/DE, Auburn | Buffalo starts it’s transition back to a 4-3 defense with Fairley. He can play inside or outside and will shore up the d-line. | |
| Pick 4 | AJ Green, WR, Georgia | Green is the top WR in the draft and the Bengels need a WR badly. The QB need will be filled in round two. | |
| Pick 5 | Blaine Gabbert, QB Missouri | Another no brainer pick. The Cards have no one who scares anyone as a QB. | |
| Pick 6 | Julio Jones, WR, Alabama | Colt McCoy needs people to catch the ball and Jones is a top ten prospect. | |
| Pick 7 | Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU | The 49ers dream comes true. Peterson is by far the best talent available and hits a major need. | |
| Pick 8 | Robert Quinn, OLB, North Carolina | Bowers medical scares me. The Titans play it safe with a stud OLB talent. | |
| Pick 9 | Tyron Smith, OT, USC | Dallas is transitioning away from the pure smash mouth offensive line. Smith is not as ready as Castonzo, but could be the best OT in the draft in 2-3 years. | |
| Pick 10 | Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M | The Redskins luck into Miller who is the best pure pass rusher in the draft. | |
| Pick 11 | Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri | Houston needs an OLB badly and reaches for Smith here. | |
| Pick 12 | Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College | Castonzo is the most NFL ready OT and a great pick for the Vikes here. | |
| Pick 13 | Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska | The Lions are sticking pins in their Vikings doll as Castonzo goes one pick before them. Amukamara is the best player left in the draft. He is a great consolation prize. | |
| Pick 14 | Da’Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson | The Bowers slide ends here as the Rams have to look to round two to find pass receivers. | |
| Pick 15 | Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama | Will Miami reach for a QB here? No, but they need a new running back and Ingram fills the bill. | |
| Pick 16 | JJ Watt, DE, Wisconsin | Watt will bring some heat from his strong side DE spot. | |
| Pick 17 | Muhammad Wilkerson, DE, Temple | The Pats finally find their successor to Richard Seymour. | |
| Pick 18 | Aldon Smith, OLB, Missouri | The Chargers find their pass rush threat since Larry English has not worked out. | |
| Pick 19 | Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin | The Giants need to start rebuilding that offensive line. | |
| Pick 20 | Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue | Kerrigan appeals to both 4-3 teams and 3-4 teams. His high motor and pas rushing skills earns him some pewter. | |
| Pick 21 | Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State | Addicts know I love Sherrod to the Chiefs. He has the athletic skills and character to earn his Arrowhead. | |
| Pick 22 | Nate Solder, OT, Colorado | I am not a fan of Solder. He is the best OT left and the Colts are desperate for a good tackle. | |
| Pick 23 | Jimmy Smith, CB Colorado | Andy Reid is not scared off by the character issues and grabs this ultra confident, talented CB. | |
| Pick 24 | Corey Liuget, DT Illinois | The Saints need an upgrade next to newly acquired Shaun Rodgers. | |
| Pick 25 | Jake Lockler, QB, Washington | I am not a fan of Lockler’s, but the Hawks reach and Lockler stays in Washington. | |
| Pick 26 | Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland | The Ravens select a faster WR to pair with Boldin and open up room for Rice. | |
| Pick 27 | Cameron Jordan, DE California | Jordan can play inside or outside, giving the Falcons another pass rushing threat. | |
| Pick 28 | Mike Pouncey, G, Florida | The Patriots need a talent infusion in the offensive line. Pouncey can play either guard spot. | |
| Pick 29 | Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh | The Bears need OT help badly and reach a bit for Pinkston | |
| Pick 30 | Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State | Heyward beefs up the Jet’s defensive line. | |
| Pick 31 | Marcus Cannon, OG, TCU | Cannon adds some muscle along side Maurkice Pouncey. | |
| Pick 32 | Mikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois | The Pack can sit and see what talent falls to them. Here, it’s LeShoure who some analysts think is the best RB in the draft. |